Thursday, December 15, 2011

Linda Manning was born on Nov. 24, 1946, in Cullman to James Arlander and Fannie Roberta Bradford Manning. She was a 1964 graduate of Cullman High School, where she was elected “most talented” every year. She also attended Calhoun Community College in Decatur. While working in California, she also studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse.

After high school, she entered the entertainment business, with her own television program, “The Linda Manning Show” on WLW-TV in Cincinnati, Ohio. She also appeared on other shows as a musical guest. Linda was also a regular at the Palomino Club in Hollywood, and performed at numerous music festivals, including both international venues.

During her entertainment career, she was managed by Jimmy Keys of NewKeys Music in Nashville, Tenn.

Her single, “Shade Tree Mechanic,” written by frequent collaborator Tom T. Hall, was certified as a “gold record.” .

After her entertainment career, Linda returned to Cullman and opened a jewelry store with her husband, David. Together they owned and operated Wholesale Jewelers International for 25 years in Cullman. After retiring from the jewelry business in 2003, Linda managed her commercial business space rental company, Diamond Plaza Properties, until her death.

Rice (1966-67)5020 Only For A Moment / Smoking In Bed - 665022 Life Keeps Movin' On / You Wouldn't Know What To Do With It – 675024 No Thanks To You / Bon Jour Tristesse – ca. 08-67

Mercury (1968-70)72803 Hurt Me Now / Someone Up There Still Loves Me – ca. 04-6872875 Talk Of The Town / Since They Fired The Band Director (At Murphy High) 11-6872906 Billy Christian / The Peaceful Protest Of Charlie McDig – 02-6973016 If There's Not A Heaven / Old Memories Don¢t Die - 01-7073135 When They Burned Down The Local Motel / Riverboat Queen – ca. 10-70

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The first release on the label, out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The label was owned by George Garrett,also proprietor of the Uncle George's Record Shop and of the Bangar and Twin Town labels.

Chuck Howard was born in rural Kentucky but like many of his peers migrated to the bigger cites across the Ohio river. He cut his first 45 on Nashville for the Sand label, an interesting operation that was a local (Cincinnati area) affiliate of Sage and Sand labels from California.

Chuck recorded two more 45s for Cincinnati labels, "Joy Gray" on ESV and "Gossip" on Flame. All three of these 45s are great rockers and some of Ohio's best recordings of the time.

Around 1960 Chuck relocated to Columbus. He helped start a label, Kim records, and recorded a couple records himself along with writing many songs recorded by a variety of artists including Cliff Nash and the Shilos. The Kim label recordings are in the 'countrypolitan' style (RCA records/Nashville) that was popular at the time.

He was also on Port, Do-Ra-Me, Allison, Fraternity, Columbia, Monument, Boone, etc.

Put the Beat Behind It
Pleasant rocker with a very danceable beat is agreeably presented, but flip is stronger. (Kord, BMI)

Later in 1957, Sandy Reid had a second release on the Bakersfield located Tally Records (Tally 114 : Wotcha’ Doin’ Tonight / What A Boy). Her two records were almost certainly arranged and/or produced by Ralph Yaw.

According to Chris Kelsey :

Ralph Yaw wrote arrangements for a great many swing-era bandleaders during the '30s and '40s, including Isham Jones, Cab Calloway, Eddie Barefield, Count Basie, and Les Brown, but Yaw is best-known for his work with Stan Kenton, for whom he wrote and arranged in the early '40s.

Yaw ceased his jazz activities around 1947 and subsequently embarked on a career in country music. His "No Longer a Prisoner", a song on the Korean War theme, was a hit for singer Hank Snow (RCA Records, 1953).

He wrote straight away a follow up to the Hank Snow hit, "I’m Still A Prisoner (Of Love)" [The first armistice song", claimed the ad published by Billboard] which was released on his own Kord label. (Billy Mize sung it, backed by Bill Woods And His Orange Blossom Playboys).

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Graphomania (from Greek γραφειν — writing,and μανία — insanity), also known as scribomania, refers to an obsessive impulse to write. When used in a specifically psychiatric context, it labels a morbid mental condition which results in writing rambling and confused statements, often degenerating in a meaningless succession words or even nonsense and called then graphorrhea. The term 'graphomania' has been used in early 19th century by Esquirol and later by Eugen Bleuler, becoming more or less usual. Graphomania is near condition to typomania - obsessiveness with seeing one's name in publication or with writing for being published, excessive symbolism or typology.

Outside the psychiatric definitions of graphomania and related conditions, the word is used more broadly to label the urge and need to write excessively, whether professional or not.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Country music singer Don Winters, known to fans as ''The Yodeling King,'' died in 2002 at his home in Nolensville after a yearlong battle with liver cancer. He was 73.

Born in Tampa, Fla., and raised in southern Georgia, Mr. Winters began his musical career with his father's band, Pop Winters and the Southern Strollers, in the late 1940s.

He moved to Nashville in the 1950s to launch his solo career, recording on RCA and Decca Records labels. He showed up on the Billboard charts with songs Too Many Times and Shake Hands with a Loser.

In 1960, country music legend Marty Robbins asked Mr. Winters to join his band, a move that launched a lifelong friendship between the two entertainers. Together they serenaded audiences, along with Bobby Sykes, as the Marty Robbins Trio. Mr. Winters and Robbins collaborated until Robbins' death in 1982.

The Robbins label was owned in Nashville by Marty Robbins Enterprises.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Quinn Gets Decca Pact :Decca Records has signed Andy Quinn, a 25-year- old warbler-cleffer to an exclusive pact. With his first releases next week, Quinn will leave on a seven-city promotion trip (BILLBOARD, September 2, 1957)

Andy Quinn performed the flip side, "Rock-A-Boogie" on The Ed Sullivan Show" on October 27, 1957. He had three releases on Decca Records, all listed in Rockin' Country Style.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Gene Barnett started his musical career playing bass for Bobby Lee Trammell shortly after Trammell's hit record, “Arkansas Twist” was recorded. Barnett moved-on to play with Kenny Owens, a local singer who had a large following in the Jonesboro area. Barnett appeared on Owens' TV variety show on KAIT Jonesboro in the late 60's.

Gene Barnett is now member of The RetroRadio Band, a four-piece Jonesboro-based musical group that plays a variety of music to include 50's and 60's, R&B, Mototown, Country Rock, and Disco.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

This is perhaps his best rocker. Written by Jack Hammer, the song was previously recorded by Harry Douglass and the Deep River Boys (RCA 47-7195, Billboard March 24, 1958). You can hear the RCA version HERE.

The Granahan story is told by various websites. I've tried to resume his story but the various sources are showing a lot of discrepancies. there is no mention of his (first?) record on Eldorado Records in 1956, a label owned by Buchanan and Goodman. The Eldorado record is only mentionned by Terry Gordon on his Rockin' Country Style, but no flipside is shown and no label scan found.

When the Mark record was released (April or May 58), Gerry Granahan had already records out on Atco Records (as Jerry Grant) and, as a member of Dicky Doo and the Don'ts, on Swan Records, one of the first release on the label.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Edward LouisDavis had been a child actor. He did a lot of films. Then he became a restaurant owner in 1953. It was called the Eddie Davis Parkway Grill. He became very financially secure. From there he bought another restaurant, the Eddie Davis Steakhouse Supper Club. Then he got into music.

and on Faro 596 ('59) : Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea / Love Me As Though There Were No Tomorrow (duet with Connie Stevens, as by Ed Davis)

He realized he didn't have the talent to make it as a singer and decided to move into record production and label ownership. In 1958, by selling his restaurants and other businesses, Davis accumulated the necessary capital to incorporate his own record firm, Faro Productions.

As a producer and owner of the Faro, Linda, Rampart, Valhalla, Prospect, Boomerang, and Gordo labels, Eddie Davis was a major figure in the East Los Angeles rock scene of the 1960s and early '70s. (He was dubbed "the Barry Gordy of East L.A.").

Davis produced and released records by a bunch of Mexican-American East L.A. bands, including the Romancers, Cannibal & the Headhunters, the Blendells, and the Premiers. ..

He died in 1994.

Eddie Davis (circa 1958) Parkway Grill Restaurant, Hollywood

Eddie quote :

"If anybody thinks I got rich over my East Los Angeles music, they're wrong. I cooked a lot of hamburgers to make those records."

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

That's the only known picture of the young Tommy Rowe(exclusively on Dead Wax!)(yes, the day was foggy)

Here is an interesting teen rocker about which I can't find much information. It's from "Rebel Rockabilly Rock, Vol. 6" (LP compilation from 1994). The song was written, according to the back cover, by Sehorn [Marshall Sehorn?] and published by Selma Music.

The only information that I can find (in my computer files, not on the net) is that "The Golden Pear" was released on Tel Records, probably in 1959 or perhaps in early 1960.

Billboard (March 16, 1959) inform us of the formation of Tel Records :

Morty Craft, colorful disker, officially became a record company president this week, with signing of final papers establishing United Telefilm Records, Inc. The new Craft set-up aligns him with the Canadian firm, United Telefilms, Ltd., of Toronto, which owns 85 per cent of the stock of the new diskery with Craft holding the balance of 15 per cent. There will be two labels, Tel Records and Warwick Records.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

LUCKY ENOIS QUINTETCrazy Man Crazy MODERN 905 – Side cut at a concert is full of infectious excitement. Jimmy Waters chants in unhibited style as the group backs him wildly. Could be a loot catcher. (Eastwick, BMI)Billboard, May 30, 1953

Friday, October 7, 2011

Hawk Records was owned by "Walkin' Talkin' Bill Hawkins. He was the first black DJ in Cleveland in the late 40s and may have been one of the first in the country playing blues and R& B records on the radio.

The record probably did not have national distribution, Hawkins owned a record store on East 105th street and sold his records there as well as some local record stores.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

"The Centurys" started in 1963 at Alamo Heights High School at the annual Howdy Night Fiesta. Tony Volz and Bill Bellamy had taken guitar lessons at Caldwell Music Co. from Ed Fest over the summer. Tony had a National fat body electric guitar and I had a Fender 3/4 Musicmaster solid body. We shared a Silvertone Twin Twelve Amplifier with reverb and tremolo. Our passion was instrumentals by The Ventures and Freddy King. So we played almost unnoticed at Howdy Night as the music of choice then was country western and the best band was Peyton Starr and The Drifters featuring Johnny Witherspoon. One fellow noticed, a different kind of guy from New York with Brylcream hair named Pat Wellberg. He asked if he could sit in and produced a white Fender Stratocaster with an Ampeg fliptop amplifier. What proceeded was an outrageous version of Gandy Dancer by The Ventures executed with flawless double picking. We recruited Pat instantly and a fellow nearby said he was Jimmy Taylor and could play drums. Jim had a white pearl Ludwig set and could play Wipeout. Pat's brother, Ed had played with Joey Dee and The Starlighters at the Peppermint Lounge in NY. Remember the Peppermint Twist? Ed told us at practice that we'd be more professional if we did steps (choreography) And wore black and gold lamme tux jackets which he happened to have. So we did.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Charles Wallace Jacob Johnson was a miner, photographer, musician, and dance instructor, born in Maryland August 3, 1833, the son of George M. and Matilda Johnson. He came to California and was on the North Fork of the Feather River in 1857 and in Grass Valley in 1863. He went to Nevada in 1863 where he worked as a one man band and taught dance and returned to San Francisco in 1868. In Eureka and Arcata he went into the photography business with William N. Tuttle. He moved back to San Francisco with Tuttle. Later, he moved to Watsonville and went into partnership with T. Al Sullivan and married Sullivan's sister, Mrs. Norah Pardon on Dec. 2, 1875. He moved to Monterrey and continued his photography business from 1881-1898. He died in Salinas, January 17, 1903.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

The significance of the hole in art goes back to antiquity, particularly Aztec and Mayan sculptural work as well as Celtic stone sculpture. ... ``There is an enduring fascination for creating lightness in practical structures and architects and designers are always flirting and experimenting with it.[1]

The mind of the inventor of the record's big hole (RCA Records) was not at all fascinated by such artistic aspect of the round emptiness in the middle of the plastic matter, but rather by the technical or commercial aspects :

The generally-accepted theory is that the large center hole on 45s made it easier for jukeboxes to handle them. The reality was that RCA did everything they could to try to create a radically new format to thwart CBS -- different-sized record, different hole, different rotational speed, etc. -- just for spite. [2]

Few record labels tried to use the hole as part of the design. The various designs that i've found belongs to the following categories :